15

INFORMATION LITERACY:
AN OVERVIEW OF INFORMATION LITERACY PROGRAMMES

AT IPR
Librarians Day -2012 and seminar

on User Oriented Quality Services in 21st Century Libraries
11th August 2012

H.T. Parekh Convention Centre, AMA, Ahmedabad
Organized by ADINET, INFLIBNET and AMA
Pragnya J. Pathak and S. Shravan Kumar

Institute for Plasma Research, Bhat, Gandhinagar - 382428
Contents
Introduction
Definition of Information Literacy (IL)
Importance of IL
Impact of IL
Applications of IL
Core Model of IL for Higher Education in Universities
(SCONUL)
Initiatives taken by Government
Role of Librarians in IL
Experiences of IL Programmes at Institute for Plasma
Research (IPR)
Conclusion
Qualities of Literate
Able to Read
Literate Able to Write
Educated in a
particular field
or fields
Qualities of Information Literate
Literate
Need for information
Sources of information
Information
Literate
Successful search strategies
Critical thinking Accesses sources of information

& Decision making
Use of ICT and related gadgets

Creates new knowledge
Evaluates information
Definition of Information Literacy
Information Literacy first appeared in a

report of National Commission on Libraries
and Information Science by Paul G. Zurkowski
in year 1974
Introduction
Information Literacy requires a set of abilities:
when an information is required
which type of information is needed
should possess the ability to find the required
information
able to evaluate available information resources
use effectively and efficiently the needed information
Concept of Information Literacy is very important:
sudden growth in complexity of information resources
individuals come across with varied information choices
in their academics, workplace, and in their personal
lives.
Importance of Information Literacy
Need and importance of IL crop up as a result of Data
Smog, the term coined by David Shenk (Journalist)
Large amount of information
Barrier in individuals lives
Nervousness when making decisions
Data smog is a key
When we need information and
Where to locate it effectively and efficiently
Technological skills needed to use the modern library as a
gateway to information
Analyze and evaluate
Importance of Information Literacy
UN- International Literacy Day- 8th September
UNESCO declared year 1990 as International

Literacy Year
In year 1993, an Education for All Summit of

Nine high-population countries was organized
at New Delhi by UNESCO.
Impact of Information Literacy
For Student Community:
Scholars learn to find, evaluate and create
information by developing significant thinking
skills which hopefully leads to better research
Outcome of better research lead to more success
in studies, that increasing the preservation of
more information for future generation
Skills developed by students here are transferable
to their ultimate workplace making students more
marketable
For Citizens:
Identify most useful information when making
decisions like where to establish a business, how to
vote, by evaluating newscasts, advertisements, and
political speeches, use of statistics to support only
one aspect of a complex issue.
Understand the value and power of information, they
consider in the need for information to address
problems and questions in their own lives, in their
communities, and in society.
Prepared to be lifelong learners because they know
how to learn themselves.
For Workers at workplace:
Demand for a new kind of worker or information literate is
increased in the marketplace, where a worker can be
talented to gather, sort, evaluate, synthesize, interpret
and apply cascade of information.
Workplace has become a place of drastic change and
provides innumerable opportunities for individual
workers. As a result of these fast changing environment
results in multiple career and job changes.
Information literacy helps workers to see change in nature
of job at workplace as transitional and not distressing
Application of Information Literacy
Information Literacy is a prerequisite for Lifelong
Learning, and is common to all learning
environments, to all disciplines, to all levels of
education and for all age groups
Lifelong Learning
Flexible Learning
Core Model of Information Literacy for
Higher Education in Universities: SCONUL
Society of college, National and University Libraries
(SCONUL) was founded in 1950 as the Standing
Conference of National and University Libraries.
In 2001, it changed its name as SCONUL.
SCONUL promotes quality in library services in higher
education and national libraries across the UK and
Ireland.
SCONUL came up with a core model of Seven Pillars of
Information Literacy, which explains the information
handling, information skills, data curation and data
organization.
Initiatives taken by Central Government
and State Governments in India
National Knowledge Commission (NKC) in year
2005, with following aims:
Build excellence in the educational system
Promote creation of knowledge in S&T
laboratories.
Improve the management of institutions engaged
in intellectual property rights.
Promote knowledge applications in agriculture
and industry.
Right to Information Act (2005) assures timely
response to citizen request for government
information.
RTI is an initiative taken by department of
Personnel and Training, Ministry of Personnel,
Public Grievances and Pensions.
Access Guide on RTI at:
http://circulars.nic.in/WriteReadData/CircularPortal/D2/D02rti/1_4
Rashtriya Computer Literacy Drive is an
initiative to make India 100% computer
literate
http://www.rcld.org/
National Knowledge Network (NKN) helped in
up gradation of NICNET at 40 locations all over
India in 2008, used minimum infrastructure to
connect more than 1500 institutions
http://mit.gov.in/content/national-knowledge-network
National Digital Library: Department of IT
supported setting up mega centers and
scanning centers at IISc, Bangaluru and
Carnegie Melon University, USA.
Digital data generated by these scanning
centres is web enabled on Digital Library of
India web site.
http://www.new.dli.ernet.in
Village Knowledge Centre (VKC) is a place to

render distant services from a single window
point to rural masses especially in remote
areas of the country through modern ICT.
http://capart.nic.in/scheme/vrc.pdf
National Portal of India - A single window access to
information and services being provided by the
various Indian Government entities.
Content in this Portal is the result of a collaborative
effort of various Indian Government Ministries and
Departments, at the Central/State/District level.
http://www.india.gov.in/
E-Choupal, initiative of Agri Business Division, offers
the Farmers of India all the information, products
and services they need to enhance farm productivity
Local and global information on weather, scientific
farming practices as well as market prices at the
village itself through this web portal in regional
languages.
http://www.echoupal.com/
Akshaya, an innovative project implemented
in the State of Kerala by state government
aimed at bridging the digital divide, addresses
the issues of ICT access, basic skill sets and
availability of relevant content
http://www.akshaya.kerala.gov.in/
Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation Limited
(MKCL) a major initiative by Maharashtra
Government helped citizens to become IT
literate. MKCL registered more than 5.4
million learners
http://www.mkcl.org/
Bhoomi has computerized 20 million records
of land ownership of 6.7 million farmers in
Karnataka
http://www.bhoomi.karnataka.gov.in/
Many other projects like Gyandoot, Pravana,
Drishtee, Warana Wired Village, SRISTI,
NaiDisha, INVITE etc are the successful
projects taken up by Government.
Initiatives taken by Gujarat State Government
Gujarat State Wide Area Network (GSWAN)

2001-02
To modernize the intra-governmental
communication setup
To improve administrative effectiveness and
efficiency
Provides connectivity to all 26 districts and
225 taluka centers.
http://www.gswan.gov.in/
Sachivalaya Integrated Communication

Network (SICN) owned by Government of
Gujarat for their voice communication needs.
SICN network is spread over Gandhinagar
connecting all Government Boards and
Corporations Offices.
http://www.gujaratinformatics.com/sinc.html
Gujarat IT Policy features compulsory

computer education would be introduced in
all schools from class-V onwards, provide
internet connectivity to all schools in the
state, creation of State Library Networks and
promotion of Gujarati on computer
http://dst.gujarat.gov.in/it-policy.htm
Role of Librarians in Information Literacy
Christopher (2004) identified four roles that

librarians play in Information Literacy:
Teacher and Consultant
Instructional Technologists
Manager of computing services
Manager of learning resources collection
Feedback from other Libraries

All librarians believe that libraries and librarians
play an important role in promoting information
literacy
Government, libraries, librarians and individual
users should take initiatives and develop
information literacy skill for lifelong learning.
Feedback from other Libraries
Government takes initiatives and provides budget
to set up the information literacy initiatives at
state or national level, without involving librarians
in the information literacy programmes, then the
scheduled schemes objectives wont be
successfully achieved.
The responsibility or control to promote and
encourage information literacy is with libraries
and librarians.
Experiences of Information Literacy Programs (ILP) at
Institute for Plasma Research (IPR) Library:
IPR Library provided ILP in a traditional way,

from its inception without having much
awareness about IL and with limited available
infrastructure and limited resources.
Later at the advent of ICT Tools like computers
with low bandwidth network connectivity,
preference was given to senior scientists and
administrators to use these tools.
Research scholars and users were depending on

library staff, to perform database searching from
offline resources available on CD-ROM format of
INSPEC, INIS database, & McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia
of Science and Technology etc.
Bibliographies were complied on different subjects

which are of interest to our users.
Started giving training to users to search a database

Install search interface software
Process benefited them to learn how to formulate a
search query and search database on their own.
Developed users skill to make specific query in
database
Retrieve most relevant information
Saved users precious time.
Web page of IPR library which is considered as

gateway of information & is listing e-resources .
Subject wise database.
Link to websites and resources are indexed on
library web page
Internal publications like thesis, reprints, technical
reports, research reports and bibliographies of senior
scientists are digitized and full text access is provided
through library CDM Server to users
Procured Scientific Software to process data

which is available in codes
Simulations of experimental readings
Provided translating software

Current contents service to users and various

universities departments heads on demand in both
print and electronic media through email.
Current contents link is provided on library webpage,

subscribing to Netvibes.com
Computers for Users with Internet Connectivity
Timely action was taken by library to provide
Adequate computers and servers
Access to additional resources to users
Gave better services to users with 24x7 Internet connectivity
For that adequate care was taken for Library

automation
Orientation to users is a regular feature of our

library to make users familiar about library
and its services,
Which resulted increase in library usage, and

reduced the hesitation approach in a new user
to visit the library.
Publishers or vendors were invited to offer detailed demo

of usage of new databases
AIP Online journals,
ScienceDirect,
SCOPUS,
E-village for Engineers,
E-Standards for Engineers
Web of Knowledge
Quiz programmes are conducted
Users participating in SCOPUS database demo
Users attending Web of Knowledge Demonstrations
Prize distributed to winners of Quiz Competition
Organized demonstration of new technology

equipments:
Multifunction Devices (MFD),
CD Mirror Server (CDM Servers),
Barcode technology,
Kindles (ebook reader),
Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID),
Security Systems,
Closed-circuit Television (CCTV), etc.,
User Education Programme, by inviting subject

experts in the area of:
Knowledge Management,
Usage of Multimedia,
User Services,
Marketing of Information,
Need of Library Consortia,
ICT Tools,
Software usage,
CDM technology
All IPR library staff is actively interacting with

Publishers,
Vendors,
Senior Library Professionals
Life Members of library associations
Library Guide
Library Virtual Tour
Library Brochure
Information about library services
Locations of resources
Working hours of library
Contact details of library staff
Library tutorials - WebOPAC, OPAC, and usage
of online journals.
GUIDE TO IPR LIBRARY

Library Guide in Hindi (PDF 163kB)

1. INTRODUCTION
2. LIBRARY TIMING
3. ORGANISATION OF SECTIONS
4. MEMBERSHIP
5. DOCUMENT SELECTION
6. COLLECTION
7. FINDING A DOCUMENT
8. BOOK GRANT
9. SERVICES
9.1. CIRCULATION
9.2. INTER LIBRARY LOAN
9.3. REFERRAL
9.4. PHOTOCOPYING
9.5. TRANSLATION
9.6. CURRENT AWARENESS SERVICES
9.7. SELECTIVE DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION
10. LIBRARY AUTOMATION
11. GUIDELINES TO LIBRARY MEMBERS
Users forum is active

Meet group wise (Scientists, Engineers, RS)
Interact with librarian and staff
Give suggestions for resources
Give feedback for services
Help in policy making
Provides alert services to users:

Displaying the information on the notice
boards
Flashing the news on library webpage
Feedback from users to improve library
services efficiently.
Book Exhibitions
Invites Library Science Department Students from

various Universities
Teach students practical approach of library services

provided to users
Conclusion
In present digital era, information literacy is
very important for each and every field
especially, for libraries and library
professionals.
All library professionals should be aware of
information needs, information sources, new
technologies and tools to use these
information sources for the benefit of their
users.
Conclusion
For providing better services to the users all
library professionals should also be updated
with new information skills.
IPR library staff never waited for any special
training or well equipped infrastructure etc.,
whatever limited resources were available, we
started using them and tried to keep updated
ourselves, and whatever we learnt we tried to
implement in our library and as a result our
users are very satisfied with library services.
Conclusion
As a proof we can quote our Directors
statement IPR Library is a World Class
Library. Our Dean commented about IPR
Library webpage that it is an excellent library
webpage, where one can access maximum
required information.
Thank You

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INFORMATION LITERACY:

AN OVERVIEW OF INFORMATION LITERACY PROGRAMMES

Librarians Day -2012 and seminar

11th August 2012

Pragnya J. Pathak and S. Shravan Kumar

Literate Able to Write

Need for information

Critical thinking Accesses sources of information

Use of ICT and related gadgets

Information Literacy first appeared in a

UNESCO declared year 1990 as International

In year 1993, an Education for All Summit of

Village Knowledge Centre (VKC) is a place to

Gujarat State Wide Area Network (GSWAN)

Sachivalaya Integrated Communication

Gujarat IT Policy features compulsory

Christopher (2004) identified four roles that

Feedback from other Libraries

IPR Library provided ILP in a traditional way,

Research scholars and users were depending on

Bibliographies were complied on different subjects

Started giving training to users to search a database

Web page of IPR library which is considered as

Procured Scientific Software to process data

Simulations of experimental readings

Provided translating software

Current contents service to users and various

Current contents link is provided on library webpage,

Adequate computers and servers

Access to additional resources to users

Gave better services to users with 24x7 Internet connectivity

For that adequate care was taken for Library

Orientation to users is a regular feature of our

Which resulted increase in library usage, and

Publishers or vendors were invited to offer detailed demo

Organized demonstration of new technology

User Education Programme, by inviting subject

All IPR library staff is actively interacting with

Library Guide in Hindi (PDF 163kB)

Users forum is active

Provides alert services to users:

Invites Library Science Department Students from

Teach students practical approach of library services

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